Crossfire
by Queen Artemis
Summary: LWD24 crossover. Previously Never Ending Day Terrorist attacks, kidnappings, DaseyLizwin...what more could you want?Oh, and Derek is the sexy Jack Bauer character! Yay Jack BauerDerek!
1. 7:00 8:00am

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Life With Derek_ or _24_. However, all other characters and the story plot are mine!

**A/N:** So this is going to be a LWD/24 crossover, which means that it will take on some things from both shows. However, I changed the setting because I know Denver so much better than London or Los Angeles. So anything that is different, blame it on that...Also, for you 24 fans, this isn't going to be exactly like the show (obviously). No Jack Bauer. And we are going on the assumption that CTU in Denver would work a bit differently than CTU in Los Angeles...just keep that in mind!

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**7:00am-8:00am – Denver, Colorado – the day of the Presidential campaign visit**

Casey McDonald stepped out of the doors of Denver International Airport and rubbed her eyes. After a flight that left Toronto Pearson International Airport at 3am (which means she had to be at the airport at 1:30am), her day had already passed into the realm of horrific. All she was looking forward to now was crashing into bed and sleeping for the next 48 hours. Unfortunately, before she could do that, Casey had to track down her stepbrother and break the news to him before Lizzie and Edwin arrived later that day. She and Marti, her youngest stepsister, had been afraid that if they allowed Edwin to break the news to Derek without a little advance notice, Edwin wouldn't live long enough to experience the happy wedding day their family had been planning for months.

As Casey tiredly raised her hand to summon a taxi, Marti bounced out of the door behind her, dragging her suitcase. "C'mon Case! I am so excited about seeing Derek. It's been years!"

Casey had to laugh at Marti's exaggeration. It had really only been about thirteen months, but Casey had to admit that she was excited about seeing Derek too. As the taxi pulled up and she and Marti loaded their suitcases into the trunk and got in the backseat, Casey remembered the last time she had seen Derek – and the promises they had made in the car on the way to the airport as she said goodbye to him.

* * *

_Casey sat in the front seat of her car, fiddling with her gloves. She was so nervous to be alone in the car with Derek, especially after the signals they had been sending each other all week. Unlike when they lived together in high school, their teasing had taken on a flirtatious edge as the two of them had matured, and the flirtations had become more and more serious this week until Casey was completely confused as to where Derek wanted their relationship to head. She figured that this car ride would be the perfect time to discuss it, but now that the time had arrived, the butterflies in her stomach stopped her from saying anything._

_"Casey…" Derek's hesitant voice broke the silence._

_Casey stared at her hands. They were trembling. "Y-yes, Derek?"_

_"Case, I wanted to talk to you about our…well, about our relationship." Derek glanced over at her while he spoke, trying to keep his eyes on the road at the same time he was trying to make this an intimate discussion. "I don't know how to say this, Case. So, I guess I will just come out and say it." He swallowed before continuing, this time staring straight ahead as if afraid to look at Casey._

_"I really like you, Casey. I mean, I really, really like you. In fact, I could see myself falling in love with you with very little effort. I know, I know what you are going to say. You are going to bring up the fact that we live in two separate countries, the fact that you have a wonderful career here that you couldn't possibly ever leave and that I have a great job in the States, and the fact that our parents are married to each other." Derek held up his hand as Casey tried to say something._

_"I know every problem and barrier that you could come up with, Case. I know them because I have run through every one of them in my head, trying to convince myself that there is no way that you are the one for me. But I keep coming back to the fact that no woman I have ever met has challenged me in every way as much as you have. I have never met another woman that sparks a desire to get closer to you at the same time I want to rile you up, if only to see the spark that lights up your eyes. There has never been another woman that I think about every spare moment my brain has, who manages to creep into my dreams and seep into my consciousness until all I want to do is talk to you and see you. I'm not asking for a commitment, or an answer today, or anything other than an indication that I am not the only one feeling this way – that maybe we could try and work this relationship out, no matter how many obstacles we face. So what do you have to say?"_

_Casey stayed silent, staring at the snow swirling around them. Her mind was racing with all the implications of what Derek had just said, and all the potential problems her mind could immediately focus on. But the thought that was clearest in her mind was one of utter joy. Derek likes me!_

_As the silence dragged on, Derek began to get really nervous. "Hey Casey, if you wanted to say something, now would be the time. Like, anytime."_

_Casey began to smile. "You're right, Derek," she began. "There are so many problems and issues that come up with the idea of a relationship between the two of us, not the least of which is our parents' relationship."_

_"But we both know that neither of us-"_

_Casey held up her hand. "Let me talk. Like I said, the problems facing us if we were to initiate a relationship are numerous, and that's what I should be thinking about. But for some reason the only thing that is coming to mind right now is how much I want you to kiss me."_

_Derek stared at her in amazement, not bothering to look at the road anymore. "R-really?" he choked out, not taking his eyes off her face._

_Casey began to get really nervous. "Um, Derek, maybe you should watch where you are driving!" The last word ended on a shriek as Derek whipped his head around and saw the car coming straight for them. He swerved and managed to miss the car, which sped off, honking. Derek drove the car straight to the side of the road and parked._

_"Sorry, Casey," he glanced sheepishly towards her._

_Casey looked at him and smiled coyly. "So, after almost getting me killed, don't you think I deserve that kiss?"_

_Derek quickly moved toward her, putting his gloved hands on her face and drawing it towards him until their lips met. They stayed that way, his hands on her face, her arms around his neck, lips pressed together until a car flew past them, honking._

_Derek drew back slowly, smiling into Casey's eyes. He tucked a piece of her hair that had fallen forward back behind her ear. Casey beamed at him and then turned to lean back against the car seat. Derek began to drive again, a little bit faster than normal as he was afraid he might miss his plane after their little detour.

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Marti shook Casey out of her reverie as the taxi pulled up in front of a little blue house located off University Blvd. The windows were dark and there was no car parked on the street in front of the house, so Casey asked the taxi driver to wait as she ran up the front walk to ring the doorbell. She jogged in place as she waited for any sound of inhabitation within the house, but after a minute passed and there was no sign of life, she ran back to the taxi.

"Can you please take us to 1683 17th street?" The taxi driver grunted in acknowledgement and drove down the street. Marti looked questioningly at Casey.

Casey shrugged and grinned. "I figure if we can track Derek down and tell him the news before we go check in to a hotel, then we can check in and crash for about ten hours. If we go to the hotel first, then us having caught a flight six hours before Lizzie and Edwin would be completely pointless, because I would take one look at the bed and pass out."

Marti grinned back and said, "It's cool with me! I'd love to see where Derek works anyway!"

**7:32am – CTU headquarters, Denver, Colorado.**

Derek Venturi sat at his desk and stared at the folder in front of him. It was a list of the potential problems that could occur at every scheduled stop on the President's campaign tour in Denver. It was Derek's job to determine the ones that should be assigned top priority and then the decreasing levels of priority necessary. As the President arrived in Denver at noon today, the list should have already been submitted to his boss, and it was mostly complete, but Derek couldn't keep his mind on the task at hand. He kept glancing towards the framed picture on his desk of a laughing brown-haired young woman. After the amazing conversation and kiss thirteen months ago, Derek had hardly been able to keep her off his mind. Their phone conversations that went on for hours didn't help matters. Some days, all he wanted to do was quit and move back to London so he could be with her and see her every day – wake up next to her and go to sleep next to her.

He sighed. No matter how much he wanted to do that in the dark of the night, at the back of his mind he knew Casey would be furious with him if he were to quit his dream job just to be with her. They had talked about how to make their relationship work, but so far neither of them had come up with any way to deal with the fact that their dream jobs were almost a continent apart. And every day it became harder and harder for Derek to handle.

"Venturi! Jackson's office! Now!"

Mike Cortez's bark broke through Derek's subconscious. Derek jumped up, grabbed the folder and all of its composites and strode out of his office and up the steps to Alex Jackson's office, right behind Cortez.

"Venturi, do you have those trouble spots for me?" Jackson's brusque voice boomed out the second Derek's feet passed the threshold of his office.

"Yes sir, right here."

After looking them over, Jackson looked up at Derek. "Venturi, these aren't complete."

Derek guiltily grinned. "Sorry, sir. I was just waiting for a query about the floor plan for the Convention Center. But the biggest trouble spots have been flagged, and I have already sent them to Pearson." Pearson was the agent in charge of the field teams. He would be deploying agents and teams all throughout the city to keep the President safe as he made his stops.

Jackson sent a piercing look in Derek's direction. "Alright, Venturi, but I need the rest of this list done no later than 7:50. We have to email a copy to the Secret Service agents before the President is in the air." Jackson started talking to Cortez about the team communication and Derek took that as a signal that he was dismissed, so he scooped up his folder and jetted out of the office before Jackson could think to question him about what he had been doing while he waited for the Convention Center specs.

As he walked down the stairs, Derek's cell phone was paged. He looked at the number and was startled to see the entrance desk's number. He jogged back to his office, picked up his phone, and dialed the four-digit extension.

"This is Venturi."

"Agent Venturi, this is Philips. There are two young ladies here looking for you, and they appear to have had a long trip. They will be waiting down here for you."

Derek sighed. He had no idea what young ladies would be looking for him, and whoever they were, he was sure he didn't want to deal with it right now.

"Philips, I need to finish up this list for Jackson. I will be down in ten minutes." Derek rubbed the bridge of his nose as he listened to the security officer's response and then hung up the phone and sat down to finish the list.

**7:50am – CTU headquarters, Denver, Colorado.**

Casey sat in one of the hard plastic chairs in the lobby of Derek's building and tried to read her magazine while Marti paced around the room. They had paid the taxi driver for the ride and then Casey added some extra and asked him to wait while they went in to talk to Derek. She didn't want to be bothered by having to lug her's and Marti's suitcases inside the building only to have to lug them back out. Casey told the driver to go get a coffee on her, and then come back, which perked him up enough to smile at her as he left to park the taxi. But at the rate it was taking for Derek to come talk to them, the driver was going to be finished with his coffee and ready to drive away with their suitcases in the trunk before they were done.

Suddenly the elevator doors opened and Derek came striding out. Casey, at first about to call to him, hesitated. Every doubt she had about this surprise visit and their relationship and pretty much anything to do with Derek washed over her, and she was unexpectedly unable to speak. Marti was no help, as she was facing the windows at that moment.

Derek went straight to the security officer's desk. "Philips!" he barked. The officer looked at him. "I'm Derek Venturi. Where are these young ladies?"

Philips didn't need to answer. As soon as Marti heard Derek's voice, she spun and launched herself at him. Derek, unprepared for an eighteen-year-old whirlwind, barely managed to keep both of them from falling in a heap on the floor.

"Marti? What are you…I mean, how did you…why are you here?"

By this time, Casey had managed to get over her attack of shyness and stood up to walk over to the pair of siblings. "Hey, Derek."

At the sound of her voice, Derek spun around, a look of astonishment and something else Casey couldn't place appeared on his face. "C-Casey?"

When she nodded, Derek did something completely unbefitting a government agent. He whooped and grabbed Casey around the waist, spinning her around before giving her the hottest kiss she had ever received.

The two broke apart, gasping for air when Marti starting laughing. "Break it up, you two," she ordered. "We don't have time for this."

Derek turned to look at her. "I beg your pardon, Smarti. I have more than enough time to kiss the love of my life."

Casey swatted his arm. "Derek!"

Derek turned puppy eyes on her. "What? You are the love of my life. And in fact, you are the person I have been thinking about all morning." As if suddenly realizing what was going on, Derek's expression changed to one of puzzlement. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in London? Don't you have classes today?"

Casey and Marti shared a look that Derek couldn't read. "Do you think you could take a coffee break and come talk with us for a while?" Casey questioned seriously. "It's kind of important."

Derek looked puzzled, but reached over the security officer's desk and grabbed his phone. "I just need to borrow it for two seconds," he assured Philips.

Alex Jackson picked up his phone and growled, "What?"

"This is Venturi. I finished the list. Sarah should be bringing it to you any second. Do you think I could step out for a few minutes? Some of my family just showed up and they need to talk to me for a few minutes. Said it was important."

"Fine. Get your ass back in here by 8:20, got it Venturi? This is not a play day. We have the President on his way and we still need to go through the final work up."

"Alright sir."

"And don't forget your pager!"

"Yessir!" Derek hung up the phone and held out his arms. "For my two favorite ladies. Let's go to the Starbucks down the street."

**7:59am**

"Delta team, this is Rebel Leader. Are you in postion?"

"Rebel Leader, this is Delta Leader. We are in position and awaiting command."

"Alright. Hold position."

"Rebel Leader, this is Bravo Leader. We have a potential complication."

"What is it, Bravo leader?"

"Two bogeys in the wire, sir. What should we do with them?"

"Are they a threat?"

"No just a complication. They seem to be related to Target Two."

"Then you know what to do. If they become a threat, take them out. But keep your eyes open for ways they can be used. If they can provide additional distraction, use it."

"Roger, Rebel Leader. Bravo Leader clear."

"Rebel Leader clear."

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**A/N:** So...what do you think? Is it worth continuing? 


	2. 8:00 9:00am

**Disclaimer: **Last time I checked with the purple monkey, I only owned him. Nothing else.

**A/N:** And here is hour two of the worst day of Derek Venturi's life - are you ready for a shock?

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**Previously on LWD/24: (imagine the beeping sound)**

_Marti bounced out of the door behind her, dragging her suitcase. "C'mon Case! I am so excited about seeing Derek. It's been years!"_

_"Case, I wanted to talk to you about our…well, about our relationship." _

_"Alright, Venturi, but I need the rest of this list done no later than 7:50. We have to email a copy to the Secret Service agents before the President is in the air."_

_"Agent Venturi, this is Philips. There are two young ladies here looking for you, and they appear to have had a long trip. They will be waiting down here for you."_

_Casey and Marti shared a look that Derek couldn't read. "Do you think you could take a coffee break and come talk with us for a while?" Casey questioned seriously. "It's kind of important."

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**8:00am-9:00am- Denver, Colorado – the day of the Presidential campaign visit**

Casey, Derek, and Marti walked down to the Starbucks on the 16th Street Mall, arm in arm in arm. They chatted about superficial things, with Derek occasionally getting lost in the fact that the same woman he had been dreaming about for months was finally right next to him. When they walked into Starbucks, Derek immediately steered them to a table and said, "Case, you want a mocha, right? And Marti, a hot chocolate?" Both the girls looked at him and started to giggle hysterically.

Casey took pity on his puzzled face and gasped, "I think Marti and I would both like Peppermint Mochas…" As she trailed off and continued to giggle, Derek gave her a look and started to the counter. Both girls dissolved into fits of laughter. When Derek had left, Marti composed herself enough to gasp out, "Hot chocolate? Does he think I'm six or something?"

After a minute or so, both girls calmed down enough to look around at the other patrons in the restaurant and noticed their taxi driver muttering fiercely into his cell phone. Seeing that Derek was just stepping up to order, Casey decided to step over to the driver and let him in on the situation. As she was coming up behind him, the driver was finishing up the tail end of his conversation.

"Yeah, I'll be ready." Pause. "I know what I'm doing, ok? I'm not exactly an amateur. The girls need to be dropped off and then…" he trailed off, listening. "Look, I already verified it with Susan. Yeah, yeah. Talk to you soon."

"Hey!" Casey said, seeming to startle the man.

"Wha-oh it's you. Are you ready to leave?"

Casey shrugged. "Not quite yet. How about around 8:20? Is that ok? You aren't supposed to get off anytime soon, right?"

"Uh, no. 8:20 sounds great. I'll meet you right outside the building I dropped you off at."

Casey grinned. "Fabulous!" After exchanging a few more words of small talk, Casey headed back to the table, almost colliding with Derek and the drinks on the way.

"Woah, careful there, Klutzilla!" he said in a teasing way. Casey responded by hitting him on the arm and flouncing back to her sit by Marti. Derek followed, laughing.

After everyone was settled with their drinks, Derek leaned back and threw his arm around Casey's shoulders. "Alright, I know this is serious. What's going on?"

Marti and Casey exchanged glances again before Casey spoke up. "Wee-ell, there are a few things going on at home that we thought you should know about. We also thought that we would give you a heads up, given that Edwin and Lizzie are due to arrive in five hours and will bombard you with the whole long story again."

As Derek continued to look at Casey quizzically, her cheeks started to heat up. "See," she rushed on, "it isn't that no one wanted to tell you, just that no one wanted to tell you over the phone. And this is the first time all of us could get away to come visit you and…" Derek held up his hand to interrupt her.

"How about we cut to the chase and you tell me the news?"

"Ok, here goes." Casey gulped. "LizzieandEdwinaregettingmarriedinFebruary!" She finished with a triumphant grin and took a large mouthful of her drink. At Derek's continued look of puzzlement, Marti took pity on him and enunciated the words clearly. "Lizzie and Edwin are getting married in February."

Derek sat straight up and almost spat his coffee out. "What?!"

Casey just looked at him. She knew he had his suspicions about Lizzie and Edwin's relationship, so he couldn't have been that surprised.

"February? When-how did this happen?"

"Well," Marti began, "when Lizzie and Casey and Nora moved in, Lizzie and Edwin became friends. And as they got older, their friendship naturally progressed…"

Derek stopped her with a laugh. "Alright, alright, I know how it happened. What I meant was how the engagement happened? And when did it happen? And most of all, why wasn't I told before now?"

Casey broke in. "The engagement only happened two months ago. You weren't told before now because Lizzie and Edwin wanted to tell you in person, and today is the first time all of us could get off work at the same time, cause there was no way I was letting someone in our family come see you unless I got to come too." With that, she leaned over and gave him what started out as a peck on the lips and turned into a full-blown lip lock. Marti cleared her throat a few times before she got the two lovers' attention.

"So, I see you've gotten over your aversion to PDA?" she said dryly.

Derek looked at her. "After not seeing this amazing woman for thirteen months, I think a little PDA is acceptable, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Can we get back to the conversation before I have to go puke from all this lovey-dovey-ness?"

"Where was I?" Casey asked. "Oh, yeah, our trip here. So Lizzie, Edwin, Marti, and myself decided that we would all come out to see you, and that's when they would break the news. But as the time got closer, Marti and I started to worry about what you would do to Edwin if he told you without any advance notice. So we decided to fly out first, tell you the news, and then let Lizzie and Edwin talk to you after you calmed down. Which," she said with a quizzical look on her face, "you don't seem to need to do."

Derek leaned back in his chair again. "Well, I knew it was only a matter of time. Edwin has liked Lizzie since they were thirteen. Since they were eighteen, he hasn't mentioned another girl in his life. So I just assumed…"

Casey looked put out. "Are you telling me I got up at 1 o'clock this morning to get a flight here to see you, and I didn't need to? The things I go through for this family," she grumbled, pouting.

Derek kissed her again. "Yeah, but you gave me the best surprise of my life, and if you had waited until this afternoon, I probably wouldn't have been able to talk to you until tomorrow. The President is coming to Denver today, and I will be needed all afternoon and evening."

"Well I'm glad we came then," Casey cooed, perking up.

Derek looked at his watch. "Alright girls, we have to head back. It's 8:15, and Jackson, my boss, will kill me if I'm not back on time. He's already stressed to the max with the President's visit."

The three got up and walked out the door, laughing and talking. Diego Baylon, Casey's taxi driver watched them go and then got back on his cell phone.

"Avila," a voice barked.

"It's Diego. I have news about the Pawns. It seems that they have a connection to Target Three as well, a connection that we can definitely employ as distraction while we set up our package delivery."

"You know what to do, Diego." The cell phone cut out and Diego closed it, getting up and walking out of Starbucks.

**8:19am – Colorado CTU office**

Derek walked into his boss's office exactly one minute before he was supposed to be there. Jackson glanced up at him, looked at the chair in front of his desk and back down at the paper he was reading. Derek took the cue and sat down in the chair.

"Nice visit, Venturi?" Jackson growled when he was done reading.

"Yeah, great visit. My sister and stepsister, Casey."

At the mention of Casey's name, Jackson perked up. "The Casey? Casey McDonald?"

Derek smiled inwardly. "Yes, the Casey McDonald. She came to break the news that my brother and her sister are getting married in February. Incidentally," he added casually, "they, Lizzie and Edwin that is, are coming to visit this afternoon as well."

Jackson groaned. "They don't expect a security detail, do they? We can't afford to spare any agents today."

Derek laughed. "I doubt they even considered it a possibility."

Jackson breathed a sigh of relief. "I hope the governor doesn't know they're coming," he grumbled. "He'll want a detail on them."

Derek smirked. "Casey was planning on heading to his house before she and Marti check in at the hotel."

Jackson groaned again. "You hate me, don't you?"

"I guess it's what happens when you hire the stepbrother of the governor's daughters." Derek laughed at the expression on Jackson's face. "Don't worry," he assured his frantic-looking boss. "Even if Governor McDonald wants to put a security detail on his daughters, Lizzie and Casey will refuse and tell him so. They aren't ones to hide their opinions," Derek finished wryly.

Jackson laughed. "My wife's the exact same way, Venturi. So let's get down to business," he abruptly changed gears. "I emailed the list with your recommendations and Pearson's plans to the Secret Service, and so far they have had no problems with it. The President's flight will take off within the hour and is supposed to land at DIA before noon. His first stop will be the UCD/CCA/Metro campus to speak at the student body Rally on the Green. After that he will head to the Brown Palace Hotel to check in to his room, and then to the Broker for his dinner with Governor McDonald, after which he and the governor head to the Convention Center for their evening speaking engagements. That covers today, right?"

"Right, boss."

"Ok, Pearson has Reynolds's team and Davis's team on the Convention Center. They have cleared out all personnel and are stationing agents at every entrance in preparation for the crowds that will begin arriving around the same time as the President's flight. Gypsom's team has the Broker for tonight – they will go over the building after the lunch rush. Bolton and Grayson's teams are at the Brown Palace preparing the secure floor for the Presidential suite. What have I missed?"

"What about the student rally? That's our biggest security problem."

"Ah yes. I put Pearson and his five best agents as well as their teams on security there, as well as DPD patrols with dogs and the campus's private security force. They have already been through the campus twice before today – hopefully, everything will go smoothly. With the added Secret Service agents, I assumed fifty-six agents, fifty police and whatever security detail the campus has, plus numerous police dogs should be enough to control the situation."

"Sounds great, Jackson. What do you need me to do?"

"Governor McDonald has, surprise surprise, requested you to head up the team of agents around him. I told him you would be delighted to, and he expects you at the Capitol Building by 9am. I'm sending Dawson, Burg, Michaels, Jenson, Wilson, Taylor, Allen, King, Lopez, and Scott with you. They are awaiting your briefing in Conference A. You will be on secure channel 3, along with the other team leaders. I will be on channel 4, and your team members will be on channel 1 sub 6. The rest of the information is with your team."

Derek saluted. "Thank you, sir!"

Jackson growled. "Shove the sass, Venturi. Just do your job." And with that, he dismissed Derek.

**8:29am – Governor's Office, Capitol Building, Downtown Denver**

Dennis McDonald looked up at his secretary. "Sir, there are two young ladies here to see you. One insists that she is related to you, and Security has cleared her, but she refuses to give me her name. Says she's already told three people and she's not going to tell another soul until she sees you." The look of utter terror on the poor woman's face made Dennis want to laugh.

"What does she look like?" he asked kindly.

"Brown hair, blue eyes, and a very commanding voice," the woman replied timidly. Inwardly, Dennis sighed. He was going to have to talk to Rachel about hiring a new secretary, preferable one who wasn't scared of her own shadow, or more importantly, his shadow.

"Send them in, Kira. I'm sure they are fine if they cleared Security."

"Yes sir."

Dennis sat back in his chair and waited. Two seconds later a tall brunette with a chip on her shoulder and a scowl on her face walked through the door followed closely by another tall brunette, this one younger and perkier. He smiled broadly.

"Casey, sweetie! How are you? I didn't know you were coming to Denver today! How's life? Is Lizzie well? How is your mother?"

If it was possible, Casey's scowl got even bigger. "That…mess…out there is ridiculous, Dad! I showed Security the card you gave me and we still had our purses checked and metal wands and were almost interrogated. And then that woman out there wanted me to again go through the whole I'm-here-to-surprise-my-dad spiel again and I found it utterly ridiculous!"

Dennis noticed that Casey's compatriot was trying extremely hard to stifle her giggles, and wasn't succeeding. He almost wanted to join her in laughing, but felt it would be unfair to Casey.

"Now sweetie, they are just trying to do their jobs. How long were you out there waiting?"

At this Casey flushed. "I don't think that's really important," she grumbled. At this, the other girl completely lost it and sank down into a chair, laughing. Casey glared at her.

"It was…let's see, nine minutes?"

At that, Dennis began to chuckle until it became a full blown laugh. This set the younger one off again until both of them were gasping for breath. Casey stood straight and tall and tried to burn a hole in the wall with her eyes.

"It's not that funny. It's just been a long day! And I am still paying the taxi driver to wait!"

Dennis managed to bring his laughter under control. "I'm sorry Casey. Please have a seat. I can send one of my assistants to pay your taxi driver and send him off if you would like?"

"No, it's fine. We can't stay that long anyways. I just wanted to let you know that Marti and I," she motioned to the younger girl who was still giggling, "are here and Lizzie and Edwin will be arriving later today. Lizzie has some exciting news she wants to share with you."

At the mention of Marti's name, a lightbulb had gone on in Dennis's head. So this was Derek's sister, he thought, admiring the young woman. The last time he had seen her, she was still in the dress-up stage of life. "So Marti, is it? It's been a long time since I last saw you. Derek talks about you all the time though."

Casey harrumphed. "Derek mentioned that he sees you a lot. Why?" she said, suspiciously.

Dennis sat back in his chair. "Well, because I like Derek. I invite him over for dinner a lot, and we eat and watch hockey games together and talk." Especially about you, he thought. "I also have requested that he be the head of any CTU team that is working with me and my staff."

Casey looked abashed. "Oh. I guess that's good."

Marti was finally able to get her giggles under control and she looked at her watch. "Don't mean to be a party pooper or anything like that, but if we want to check in and snooze before we have to go pick up Lizzie and Edwin, we should get going. Plus, it might take us, oh I don't know, three minutes to get through Security?" And with that witty remark, she dissolved into giggles again.

Casey gritted her teeth and turned back to her dad. "So, can we get together for lunch or dinner sometime this week? Lizzie really needs to talk to you, and it would be nice to sit down and talk without needing to be molested by Security officers."

Dennis paged his secretary, who scurried into the office. "Yes, sir?

"Kira, can you please check my schedule and clear a lunch or dinner date for my daughters sometime in the next two days?" The woman nodded. "Alright then. Casey, give Kira your cell phone number and she will call you when she has arranged it." He got up from his chair and walked around the desk to give his oldest daughter a hug and a kiss. "It was good to see you, sweetie. Drop by again later!"

"Ok, bye Dad!"

"Bye, Governor McDonald!"

"Goodbye, Marti!"

Dennis watched Casey and Marti walk out of the office and went back to his desk to sit down. He noticed Kira still standing there, waiting quietly.

"Yes, Kira?"

"Agent Venturi from CTU called, sir. He requested a briefing session with you at 9:20. Since your first minute is not until 10 today, I scheduled it for the conference room."

"Thank you, Kira. Let me know when Venturi arrives, will you? I have some exciting news for him."

**8:42 am – Outside the Capitol Building**

Marti and Casey shivered and stamped their feet as they waited for their taxi to pull up. "Who would have thought that December in Colorado would be colder than December in Canada?" Marti muttered to Casey.

"I don't think it's actually colder. I think it's the wind. I've heard it's a killer here in Colorado."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's cold, that's all I know."

Marti was cut off as the taxi pulled up in front of them. She and Casey clambered into the backseat, grateful for the warmth of the car.

"Where to now, ladies?" The taxi driver had perked up noticeably since being given coffee, Casey noticed. She removed her gloves and rubbed her hand together as she responded. "The Red Lion Hotel, please."

"Right away!" The taxi driver pulled away from the Capitol Building and began to head toward I-25 as Marti laid her head on Casey's shoulder and Casey put her i-pod headphones on.

**8:45am – CTU Headquarters, Conference A**

Derek looked around at his ten agents. "Everybody clear on the procedures today?" At the nods around the table he continued. "Alright, everybody set your cell channels to 1sub 6. The governor is expecting us by 9 sharp, but I figured we could leave a little early and you could begin coordinating with the governor's security detail. I want everyone out in the cars in three minutes, capiesh?" Secretly Derek was hoping to catch Casey and Marti before they left the governor's office, even though he knew it was a slim hope. Especially today he doubted Dennis McDonald would have a lot of time to spare for his daughter.

As his agents were filing out of the conference room, a slight built, five foot tall woman was trying to squeeze her way in to see Derek.

"Venturi, I have something I need to show you." Abbie Hayes worried her top lip as she waved a bunch of papers in Derek's direction. "This isn't something major, at least not yet, so I didn't want to bring it to Jackson's attention, especially today, but someone needs to see it." Derek motioned for the information analyst to continue.

"Last night, while I was running a basic security function, I found a line of code that shouldn't have been there. I've spent all morning running through code specs and have found 257 more instances of a random line of code in a place it shouldn't have been. Normally, this wouldn't mean much, and maybe it still doesn't, but every random piece of code I found was in a security or confidential program or document. I'm putting them all together, seeing if I can find a common thread, but so far nothing. The thing is, if there was a random line of code in every single security and confidentiality program we run, there would be enough code to create another program. If it turns out that these codes are actually a Trojan, I want to make sure I'm not the only one who knows."

Derek had a blank look on his face as he looked at the papers Abbie shoved under his nose. "Abbie, I don't really understand this. What exactly is the problem?"

Abbie bit her lip. "I'm not…sure, exactly. Maybe nothing. But when I put the codes that I fond together, they started to piece together like an old worm software we used to use to infiltrate computers. I haven't found enough code to prove it, but it could mean that we have a leak in our system."

Derek looked up at Jackson's office. He could see him on the phone, yelling at someone. "If there is the slightest possibility that we have a leak, you need to let Jackson know, Abbie. He's the one that can order District analysts here to find the bug."

Abbie nodded. "If you think I should, Venturi." She turned and walked out of the room, Derek following closely on her heels trying to get out to the cars with his agents before anyone else stopped him.

**8:56am – Somewhere on I-25**

Casey looked at the passing buildings and sighed. She hoped the driver hurried up and delivered them to the hotel. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a couple hours. As she watched the buildings go by, she noticed a building that said "Red Lion Hotel". After they passed the exit, she tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I think that was the hotel back there. The driver ignored her, so Casey tapped harder. "The hotel was back there. You need to get off the highway and go back." The driver continued to ignore her.

As they passed a few more exits, Casey started to get worried. "Why won't you turn around?" she finally yelled. The driver turned around and Casey stifled a terrified gasp. In his hand he held a small, but deadly looking gun. "Sit back and shut up, Ms. McDonald," he said coolly. "We were going for a little ride to visit a few of my friends." He turned back to watch the road and Casey's hand went immediately for her purse and the cell phone within it. Instantly the gun was pointed directly at her.

"No, no, Ms. McDonald. No need to call anyone just yet. Once we get to where we are going, then you will be able to call both your father and your CTU-agent boyfriend." Casey's hand kept edging towards her purse. If she could only get the cell phone in her hand, she could at least text someone. But then the gun swung and was pointed directly at Marti. The driver smiled coldly into the mirror. "I don't need her alive. I'd like to keep her that way, for more leverage, but I don't need her alive. One more twitch of that hand, Ms. McDonald, and the young lady will never wake up again."

Casey stifled a sob and tensed her hands up, not daring to move them at all. "Wh-why are you doing this?" she whispered.

The driver looked back at her and smiled evilly. "Revolution."

* * *

A/N: And the cliffhanger of 24!!! (aren't you happy I don't make you wait for a week like the producers of 24 do?) BTW, just for your reference, I made Dennis McDonald a US citizen, born and bred, which makes Casey and Lizzie half US citizen and half Canadian citizen. Hope that clears up any confusion.

Well, any confusion about that issue...


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